BANANAS
Using the bendy fruit as a case study in Geography
Bananas are great. I like them. I even have 2 large inflatable FAIRTRADE bananas cluttering up, I mean, adorning my Geography office. The students asked me why did I have them, and my answer was "because I can!" & remember the angle of dangle should be around 26 degrees (according to the excellent PLANET.COM programme we use)
So how about some resources for using bananas in lessons ? They would make a great case study for a range of information, from farming, to colonialism, to weather and soils in the Caribbean, to consumption, to world trade, to climatic factors and aspect. Also issues of globalisation of food production, and the Banana Wars between the 'Dollar' bananas and the ACP (African Caribbean Producers)
The Windward Islands are a major area for banana production. You have a choice when you choose your bananas. Why not give the producers a hand...
A few months ago, a group of teachers visited the islands, and produced a range of resources. They are available on the FACE WINDWARD site, which has also been highlighted on the SLN site.
http://www.face-online.org.uk/windwards/ - The Windward Islands as a global place
There are a series of boxes on the home page which act as the entrance to a series of resources aimed at different age groups. Explore all 4 boxes for a range of resources related to the idea of banana production and the landscape.
OTHER WEBSITES
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/
- solid Oxfam resource which could be the basis for some interesting work
EXCHANGE VALUES - this project has developed from a collaboration between university students, school students and an artist.
This website has images of banana skins which have been grown by the farmers, complete with sound files of their voices.
http://www.exchange-values.org/
Thanks to Helen Griffiths, one of the people involved with the project for the link
Other resources
BANANAS UNPEELED: This is a video and teachers' notes pack produced by a Norfolk based organisation called BANANA LINK.
You can order your own copy by contacting:
Banana Link
8A Guildhall Hill
Norwich
NR2 1JG
Music
Also did a quick search through my music collection for appropriate music to add to Photo Story starters
Found Jack Johnson's 'Banana Pancakes', the theme tune to 'Bananas in Pyjamas', 'Yes, we have no bananas' by Louis Prima and 'Dayo - the banana boat song' by Harry Belafonte.
There was also an excellent article in the Observer in November 2006 on the pineapple trade... (OK, they're not bananas)